Ezinne A.

Photography by Shawn Bulloch

If you're reading this, I would tell you to take your headphones off.

Really! This semester my twin sister went across the world to South Korea for a study abroad program. The person I have spent my whole life attending school with suddenly wasn’t there. It was a drastic change for me; I was now eating dinner by myself, hanging out after class by myself, and didn’t have anyone to rant to in the middle of the day. So I drowned out any feelings of loneliness with music–as soon as I left my dorm my headphones were already on and blasting music that was way too energetic for 8 am. I was always listening to something.

Until one day I decided to take my headphones off for once before heading to class. And I was surprised at how… calming it was. I could hear the birds, the wind rustling off of the leaves, a snippet of an absurd conversation. As I walked around campus, I actually looked around and appreciated the sights around me. By the time I got to class, I was feeling the most calm I have been in weeks.

Having times outside where I wasn’t listening to something or on my phone has made me so much more present. Though filling the quietness with music can be calming, I realized that over time I was drowning out any emotions I felt at the time. I never allowed myself to fully think through situations and process them. Pressing “pause” on technology made me feel 10x more at ease with the loneliness I was feeling. Especially in these times where one platform or another is always competing for our attention, we can take back control by listening to what we already have. I myself feel like I’ve become more grateful for nature and the world around me when I listened more.

So if you are reading this, I would tell you to take your headphones, earbuds, whatever, off one day. Who knows what you will discover about yourself?

Ezinne A., University of Georgia

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